


you can even hear the music at night

by singtherage



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3282632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singtherage/pseuds/singtherage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Look, it’s nothing personal, I promise. You know I love you. Niall loves you. My parents love you. Jesus loves you. But you are not allowed to say “eat ass” in a public setting like that.”<br/>“Okay but-”<br/>“No but’s, Harry.”<br/>Niall laughs from where he's sweeping the floor. “Yeah, that’s what got you into this mess!”</p><p>Or a garbage AU where Liam and Niall own a coffee shop, Louis is a regular, Harry is in love, Zayn is too embarrassed to be seen with them, and everyone loses their taste for Christmas music.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you can even hear the music at night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alaserquest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alaserquest/gifts).



> happy chanukah????? honestly i wrote this last night and it's a mess and you deserve better (debatable) but this is what you get. just suspend your disbelief that harry would actually do or say any of these things and it should be okay.

**December 1st.**

  
“Hey. Hey. Hey, Niall. How do you say “I love the way your ass moves when you walk” in seven syllables? And also make it rhyme with “The stars are brightly shining?””

“Um.” Niall scrunches his nose up, actually thinking about the question. “Maybe something with hiney? I don’t know, bro, it’s not my favorite ass word. Liam?”

Liam doesn’t even look up from the milk he’s steaming. “No.”

“No to hiney?” Harry says.

“Just no. I want no part in this.”

Harry looks dejected, feet tapping rhythmically against the counter he’s sitting on, but Niall is quick to jump to his rescue. “You know what, Liam, when Harry and Louis get their shit together and fall madly in love, who do you think they’re going to remember in their wills? You, who constantly shoots down Harry’s attempts at wooing, or me, who is always present and caring and wonderful?” Liam snorts crudely. “I’ll let you figure that one out.”

“Right, okay,” he says, capping the drink he’s just finished and setting it on the counter and shouting, “KYLE. When they’re on their deathbeds, writing me out of their wills I’ll feel absolutely horrible and make my amends, alright, I swear. But right now, I’m not talking about this. Especially since I’m on the clock. KYLE. And get him off the counter it’s unsanitary.”

Liam heads back to the stock room, patting Harry’s calf on his way past. “Love you, Haz. Get off the counter.”

Harry starts his slow slide off the counter, making moon eyes at Liam’s back, hoping he’ll feel them somehow. Niall stops him with a hand on his knee.

“Bro, you’re fine. I’ll remind him how many times we fucked on this counter the day he signed the lease. Write your songs and shit.”

Niall is a true friend. (He finishes sliding off the counter anyway.)

 

**December 6th.**

“Look, it’s nothing personal, I promise. You know I love you. Niall loves you. My parents love you. Jesus loves you. But you are not allowed to say “eat ass” in a public setting like that.”

“Okay but-”

“No but’s, Harry.”

Niall laughs from where he's sweeping the floor. “Yeah, that’s what got you into this mess!”

Liam sighs and continues. “I got sixteen complaints tonight, Harry. _Sixteen_. I didn’t even know we had that many customers in the shop!”

“See, business is good!”

“It won’t be if you keep this up! Harry, please, I am begging you. I don’t care that you’re ruining Christmas songs or that you’re using my restaurant as a vehicle to get laid, I really don’t-”

“He does,” Niall interjects.

“- _But_ I care that you’re scaring my customers away. Okay? Just. God, don’t look at me like that okay, I’m done yelling at you now.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t do it again.”

 

**December 10th.**

“Hello everyone.” The mic squeals with feedback and Harry leans back a bit, smiling charmingly and hugging his guitar. Everyone in the audience is too smitten with him to be annoyed. “I’m Harry Styles and this next song is called “Unsilent Night,” and it’s about what happens when you take a really fit boy with a nice ass home.”

There’s a couple cat calls and Harry subtly looks over at Louis, who’s busy nursing a mocha at the corner table. He hasn’t looked up from his book yet.

Harry starts singing and Louis still doesn’t look up.

He makes it through Unsilent Night, Jingle Bell Cock, Silver Balls, and White Christmas without one single glance from the corner table.

By the time he’s finished half of the audience has disappeared (Louis included) and Liam is leaning against the counter, his head firmly entrenched in his hands.

Harry thinks that the customers that are left are the sort that Liam should be looking for anyway; they’re obviously committed to the establishment.

Harry says as much to Liam when they’re closing up and Liam makes Harry do all the gross chores before he leaves.

 

**December 12th.**

“Okay, so, Zayn.”

Zayn’s appearances at the coffee shop have been rather spotty since Harry started performing and Harry has to take advantage when he sees him. Which is why he’s sitting on Zayn’s lap. Because he missed him. Not because he needs to stop him from leaving or anything.

“I need you to paint me a mural.”

“A mural. Of what?”

“I need it to go right on that wall there,” Harry points to the wall next to the counter, directly opposite the door.

“Okay. Of what?”

“Liam is totally okay with the idea. Loves it, actually.”

“Sure. Of what?”

“Well that’s the best part, see, imagine this,” he puts his hands up, framing Zayn’s face, to further drive home his vision. “The scene is an abandoned railway. Okay. And there’s a train car on the right side, maybe it’s rusting a little so you can really see the desolation. And the train car should have a company name on it, or WAIT NO someone should have tagged it with white spray paint. Really thick lines. And it should say something, doesn’t really matter, as long as it has the word “ass” or “butt” in it. You know. For like foreshadowing or symbolism or something. And then in the foreground, there’s a guy. But you only see his back because he’s facing away from us. And he’s shirtless with a tool belt around his waist. He’s super tan and kinda sweaty. Are you with me?”

Zayn looks up from his phone and nods. “Yep.”

“So he’s standing there, hands on his hips. Or, no. He’s bending over, maybe he’s fixing the train car. Or like maybe he’s petting a dog. Yeah that’s good he’s petting a dog and he’s standing there bent over in front of this abandoned train car that he has the capacity to fix (this is where the belt comes in so you know he’s handy) but he can’t. He can’t because he’s too busy giving love to this life in front of him. Maybe the dog could be kind of mangy so like he’s an even better person. Or maybe, like, the dog should look sort of like a butt so it’s like even those possessing good butts are distracted by them, you know? Oh yeah also he has a big butt that’s the main point. And maybe off to the side there can be one of those mechanic’s shirts lying on the ground, since he’s shirtless. And you can just make out the little sewn on name tag that says “Louis.” What do you think?”

Zayn’s nose is back in his phone and Harry has to tap his forehead to get his attention.

“Well. I think it’s interesting.”

“I know, right? I mean it’s a work in progress but it has great potential. Don’t you think?”

Zayn smirks. “I think I need to double check with Liam before I start painting ass dogs on his walls, don’t you think?”

“Okay, I said it was a work in progress, you don’t have to be a dick.”

“No I don’t.”

Harry waits for Zayn to add something else, maybe an apology, but nothing comes so he plows ahead. “Besides, Liam’s okay with it. I told you. Don’t bother asking him.”

“Alright. Well I’ve been here long enough. Tell Liam I left and I might come back someday.”

“Sure thing, Zayn.” Harry kisses him on the nose. “Love you.”

 

**December 17th.**

Niall looks thoughtful. “Maybe you should try for a direct approach? Like just go up to him and tell him you like him.”

“I think that’s a pretty terrible idea, actually,” Liam says. “You just wanna see him embarrass himself.”

“First off, don’t talk about him like he’s not right here. And second, I do not wanna see him embarrass himself. If you’ll recall, I’m a wonderful friend. I just wanna see him get laid. Not like actually see it, but like the pre-laying.”

Liam grimaces and takes a bucket of dishes to the back room without saying anything.

“So,” Niall continues like nothing happened, “I think you should go for it. Directly.”

“Okay. Okay I’m going.”

Harry walks directly over to Louis’ table and coughs. Louis looks up and Harry stares into his eyes for a little bit before he remembers to talk.

“Um.” Okay.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to tell you something. Directly.” He nods at Niall who is very discreetly clearing off the table next to them.

“Okay.”

“So you’ve probably noticed the songs I’ve been singing the last couple weeks.”

“Kinda hard not to, mate.” Louis laughs and Harry preens.

“Well, uh, the thing is, they’re about this boy that comes here pretty often. And um, I, or um more specifically you-. Hm. What I’m trying to say is would you want to help me write them?”

Niall sighs pointedly but Louis seems to actually look at him for the first time. “Why me?”

“Well, I always see you reading and I figured that you’re, like, literate and good with words and stuff and if I really wanted to get uh, this boy, then it would be good to have you on my side.” Harry looks down at his rather large hands. “So, uh. What do you think?”

“Why not?” Louis smiles at Harry and Niall drops a glass on the floor.

It, of course, shatters and Liam’s frustrated cry from the back room is easily audible.

 

**December 20th.**

“He did not.”

“He did! I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Look, babe, I love you,” Niall says, shaking Harry’s newest song around (a mischievous take on “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town), “but there is no way on God’s green Earth that anyone would read this and say “I couldn’t find anything wrong with it.” There just isn’t.”

“Well it happened. He said he really liked my use of metaphor and imagery.”

“Okay. Well, either he can’t read or you can quit writing these songs because he is obviously down to fuck.”

“Don’t be crude.”

 

**December 22nd.**

“So,” Louis says, his hand sliding absentmindedly up and down his cup, “who’s the boy you’re writing all these songs for? Must be quite the catch.”

“Oh, he is.”

“Well who is it?” Louis prods. “Do I know him?”

“You could say that.”

“Is it that broody dark haired boy that used to come in all the time? I saw you sitting on his lap the other day.”

“No. We tried it, once, but it never really got off the ground.”

“Then who?” Louis’ tone is still playful but there’s a glint in his eyes that says he’s not going to give up.

“Um,” Harry casts around for names, “Liam. The uh-”

“-owner, yeah I know. I’m pretty sure him and Niall are, like, married though.”

“No. Nope.” Harry shakes his head profusely. “They wouldn’t do that to me.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard them having sex in the back before.”

“Hm, no. There’s some cats back there that’s probably what you’re hearing.”

“Alright.” Louis looks skeptical. “Good luck with that then.”

 

**December 24th.**

“It is not your birthday.”

Louis laughs. “No, it is, I swear.”

“I didn’t,” Harry frowns. “I didn’t get you anything.”

“That’s okay! Honest.”

“No, it’s not! It’s your birthday I have to get you something. Give me some time. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Alright.” Louis smiles. “It’s honestly okay, though.”

“Stay here.”

-

“No. Absolutely not.”

“But, _Liam_.”

“Harry, NO. I have to put my foot down. It’s Christmas Eve, we’re about to close, we are not having an open mic. Especially not the kind you do.”

“That’s discrimination.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is.”

“No.”

-

“You want me to what?”

“I just need you to distract Liam for, like, two minutes. Please, Niall, it’s an emergency.”

Niall looks conflicted. “Harry, I’ve tried to be on your side with this whole thing, but Li is really stressed right now and I don’t want to go behind his back.”

“It’s Louis’ birthday.”

“Harry.”

“No, it’s Louis’ birthday and it’s now or never and I promise Liam wouldn’t be upset if he’d just let me do what I want, I swear. He just doesn’t trust me to not do something stupid. Which, like, I get, I guess, whatever.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Alright. I’ll go break some plates or something.”

“Sweet, thanks.”

-

“Hi everyone.” Harry smiles at the crowd (a stressed looking older gentleman and Louis) and, this time, Louis smiles back. Harry smiles harder. “This isn’t what you would call an ‘official’ open mic,” he puts the air quotes around official, but they’re less air quotes and more peace signs that he flops up and down a few times, “but I had something I wanted to play for you guys. For, uh, Louis. I hope you don’t mind.”

Harry smiles at Louis once more before launching into Sleigh Ride. He’d started a version that replaced “ride” with “riding” but it’s not done and besides, this feels better. More right.

He doesn’t notice ‘til he’s done that Liam has come out from the back room and is watching. He looks a little annoyed but he claps with everyone else and doesn’t even glare at him when he thanks “Liam, our gracious host.”

Harry puts his guitar to the side and walks up to Louis, who had stood to clap.

“So. What’d you think?”

“Well it was no “You Came Upon A Midnight Clear” but it was pretty good.”

Harry smiles. “Thanks. You know, I have a confession.”

“What’s that?”

“All those songs, they weren’t about Liam.”

“No!” Louis feigns shock.

“No,” Harry says, punching Louis’ arm lightly. He takes a deep breath, “they were about you.”

Louis laughs and says, “I know,” and pulls Harry in for a kiss, still laughing.

-

They don’t say goodbye when they leave and Liam pretends to be mad, scoffing something about Christmas miracles, but Niall hears him humming "Sleigh Ride" as he wipes down the counters. 


End file.
